Aborted fetus tissue used by facility to power Oregon homes; commission orders it to stop

PORTLAND, Ore. -- An Oregon commission has ordered a waste-to-power facility to stop accepting boxed medical waste after learning it contained remains of aborted fetuses from British Columbia to generate electricity.

Sam Brentano, chairman of the Marion County board of commissioners, said late Wednesday the board is taking immediate action to prohibit human tissue from future deliveries.

Covanta Marion plant in Marion County, Ore.Covanta Marion Inc.

The British Columbia Health Ministry tells The Associated Press that regional health authorities there have a contract with a company that sends biomedical waste, including fetal tissue, to Oregon, where it's incinerated in the waste-to-energy plant

NOPD sergeant arrested on 38 counts of child pornography

A veteran New Orleans Police Departmentsergeant was arrested Wednesday (April 23) on child pornography charges, according to a statement from the Louisiana Attorney General's Office.

Sgt. Bradley Wax, 54, was booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail Wednesday afternoon on 38 counts of possession of child pornography, Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell said in a prepared statement.

A source close to the investigation said Wax turned himself over to authorities in Orleans Parish Wednesday morning but was later transported to the St. Tammany Parish jail, as the charges stem from that jurisdiction. He resides in Mandeville, online property records show.

In January, following an online undercover operation led by the Attorney General's Cyber Crime Unit, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations, investigators executed a search warrant at Wax's home. There, the statement said, investigators found pornographic images of children on computers and other electronic devices.

Deputy Chief of NOPD's Public Integrity Bureau, Arlinda Westbrook, said Wax has been placed on emergency suspension, without pay, "pending the outcome of an ongoing criminal investigation."

Wax's bond was set at $1000 per count, or a total of $38,000.

Wax's attorney, Buddy Spell, said that he had not yet had the chance to brief his client and was therefore unable to comment. However, Spell did say that he expected Wax to post bail and be released by Wednesday evening.

"At the moment all I've heard are rumors and speculations," Spell said. "But you can expect a very aggressive defense."

If convicted at trial, Wax faces up to twenty years in prison on each of the 38 counts he is charged with.

Wax, a 16-year veteran of the department, was most recently assigned to the 7th District, which covers eastern New Orleans.

NOPD officer accused of domestic battery, Fox 8 reports

The New Orleans Police Department said it anticipates an officer will turn himself in on charges of domestic battery Thursday (April 24),according to a report from Fox 8, WVUE. Deputy Chief Arlinda Westbrook told Fox 8 that Officer Marcel Albert, a five-year veteran of the NOPD, has been suspended without pay.

According to the report, Albert's domestic battery allegation involves strangulation, but no other details were available.

Criminal defendant attacks witness, is shot dead in Utah courtroom

A federal marshal shot and killed a defendant standing trial in a Utah courtroom, after the alleged gang member attacked a witness who was testifying against him, USA Today reported. Siale Angilau, 25, was shot in the chest in the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City after charging the witness in an "aggressive, threatening manner," the FBI was quoted as saying.

Angilau, a Pacific Islander and member of the Tongan Crip gang, was on trial on racketeering charges when he tried to attack the witness with a pen, the newspaper reported. The witness was a prisoner testifying how the gang operated.

A U.S. marshal in the courtroom fired eight shots at Angilau, striking him in the chest. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell, who was presiding over the case, declared a mistrial.

Angilau was standing trial on charges of robbery and assault. He also was accused of shooting two U.S. marshals in 2007, USA Today reported. He had been in a Utah state prison.

Yesterday law enforcement officials formally announced that Mr. Davids is charged for murder in the killing of Dr. Ma, his boyfriend/roommate, on March 29, 2014 with special enhancement because of his use of a knife.

But the bombshell came when it was disclosed that he had mutilated his ex.

Mr. Davids confessed to the killing, admitting to investigators that he also mutilated Dr. Ma by removing his genitalia and inserting them into his mouth.

Sheriff Homicide detective Lt. John Corina acknowledged that “He did remove some organs and stabbed him quite a few times.”

While local deputies would not confirm for WeHo News the rumors of mutilation at the time, the deputies that responded to the call did indicate the manner of Mr. Ma ‘s mutilation, though, after Lt. Coleman’s report was issued and Lt. Corona spoke to the press.

The report of the altercation came in just before 5:00 pm from the 900 block of Palm Avenue, a street that runs between Santa Monica Boulevard on the south to Holloway on the north.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, upon arriving at the scene on a welfare check, deputies were told by neighbors that there may have been a homicide and a possible suicide. The neighbors were distraught, with the entire street, it seemed, turning out to watch the activity on the long block running north from Santa Monica Boulevard.

Killed was Kurtland Ma (r) and his alleged attacker and boyfriend, Andre Davids.

Forcing their way into the apartment unit, the deputies then found Dr. Ma lying on the kitchen floor with multiple stab wounds. Paramedics were called in and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Continuing their search, they found Mr. Davids in the bathroom with numerous knife wounds and evidence that he had consumed a large number of pills in an attempt at suicide.

He was hospitalized for his wounds ok, and when interviewed he confessed to the mutilation and killing out of jealousy. “It appears to be a crime of passion where you know one boyfriend wasn’t as faithful to the other. The other one got upset,” said Lt. Corina.

Mr. Davids is facing possible charges of murder “with malice aforethought” with a special enhancement for using a knife in the commission of a felony, which would add one year to his sentence if convicted.

He is being held on $1,020,000 bail.

The neighborhood has been abuzz about it since, and then just over a week later, in the same building, a fracas broke out that involved what deputies called a “very large knife” that left three men seriously injured and in the hospital. One of the crew jumped at the deputies and was shot dead.

In the wake of the two violent deaths, one a murder and the other by a deputy, and with four tenants/guests hospitalized with knife wounds, any tenants of 939 Palm Ave. are bailing out, or intend to when they can.There is an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the knife fight and deputy-involved shooting death that hit 939 Palm Ave. the following week.

There is an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the knife fight and deputy-involved shooting death that hit 939 Palm Ave. the following week.

People who would speak only only on back ground for fear of landlord backlash, told WeHo News that the crowd involved in the latest incident, where one man who “aggressed” a deputy died from a gunshot wound and three others were hospitalized with knife wounds, was, “a little wild.”

The incident has shaken residents’ feeling of safety and security.

John M. (he chose a moniker to hide his identity), said, “I am not sure I will stay on when my lease is up. This whole thing has me edgy and even a little afraid to come home. You just don’t know what will happen.”

Kurtland Ma was a world traveler known for his pictures of handstands and backflips with iconic monuments in the back drop. From Mr. Ma's Facebook page.

Furthermore, West Hollywood has contracted with a post-traumatic stress company to handle neighbors’ needs. For ongoing counseling needs related to any traumatic event that you have experienced, please call the Maple Counseling Center at (310) 271-9999.”

A memorial service commemorating the very popular emergency room doctor and world traveler Kurtland Ma is planned for this weekend.

“Beloved son of Danny and Peggy Ma. Inspirational brother of Wayland Ma. Cherished grandson of Wing Doy Jimmy and Ellen Lee. Loved by all family and friends. Adored by his dog, Kingston. Kurtland lived a life that would take others many lifetimes to fill.

“As a Yale Medical School graduate and a world traveler, Kurtland lived a full and exemplary life, inspiring those around him with his dedication to his family, friends, patients, and community.

“He always lit up the room with his spirit and smile. Kurtland was a one of a kind soul that will be sorely missed by everyone he has touched. Kurtland’s memory will be cherished by all.

“In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made at http://bit.ly/OiKOfb.

“In honor of Kurtland’s legacy, a funeral service will be held on April 12, 2014 at 11 am with visitation from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery, 719 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009.”- See more at: http://www.wehonews.com/z/wehonews/weho-palm-ave-killing-a-mutilation-leaving-neighbors-chilled/#sthash.7Jkl6ANr.dpuf

Heat was on when suspect linked to Reserve couple's killings came forward

Kenneth and Lakeitha Joseph

Family and friends gathered at a prayer vigil Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 for Kenneth and Lakeitha Joseph in the coupleâs Homewood Place neighborhood in Reserve. They prayed for the safe return of the couple who was been reported missing by family members on Feb. 18. (Debbie Craighead

The heat was already on when Frank Mike Jr. contacted State Police. Around the time that Kenneth and Lakeitha Joseph were reported missing, setting off a desperate search for the Reserve couple, a witness had spotted their van parked at Mike's home. Soon, police obtained a search warrant for his property, at 8455 Beechwood Court in eastern New Orleans.

So when Mike came forward April 3, he had a story to tell. And while he hasn't been accused of killing the Josephs, by tying them to 30-pound kettlebells and casting them into the 18-foot Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Mike's story was enough to get him booked with interstate transportation of stolen property, for driving their van from Louisiana to Georgia.

His arrest on Tuesday marked a breakthrough in a case that had seemed to stymie detectives since the evening of Feb. 18, when relatives last saw the Josephs alive. But in court records filed in recent weeks, it has become increasingly clear that detectives began zeroing in on key evidence in March, building a case against Mike and whoever actually killed the couple.

During the inquiry, a witness told investigators that he saw the Josephs' van, which they had borrowed from Kenneth Joseph's sister, parked at Mike's home sometime after Feb. 17. On March 31, police secured a search warrant for the property.

According to a sworn affidavit unsealed in court records Thursday, Mike told investigators he arrived home one day to find the van backed into his driveway. He said he asked about the van and that a friend told him "we pulled off a little move in it."

"Mike believed that a 'little move' meant an armed robbery or simply a stolen car because he knew his friend to commit that type of criminal activity," FBI agent Timothy Denny wrote in the affidavit. Mike asked the friend for permission to drive the van to Atlanta "to go shopping for clothes," according to the affidavit. While there, however, he learned from news reports that the vehicle might be stolen and linked to two missing people.

He told police he wiped down the van for fingerprints and abandoned it at an apartment complex. He said he drove back to New Orleans with two other people in a different vehicle.

The affidavit doesn't mention the date that Mike said he found the van at his house or the date he said he went to Atlanta. However, video surveillance from the Travelodge in College Park, Ga., shows Mike driving the van into the parking lot there on Feb. 21. He then checked into the motel.

A photographer documents the van that Kenneth Joseph of Reserve borrowed from his sister Feb. 18, and that was found abandoned Feb. 27 at an apartment complex in suburban Atlanta.Fulton County (Ga.) Police Department

The van wasn't found until Feb. 27, at a College Park apartment complex. Forensic testing of blood inside it matched DNA of Kenneth and Lakeitha Joseph, the affidavit says.

At Mike's first court appearance on Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby appointed the public defender's office to represent him, according to court records. At a second hearing Wednesday, she ordered him to remain jailed, pending a preliminary hearing May 5.

He is the only person arrested so far in the case.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues. It involves a team of officers from the New Orleans Police Department, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service, State Police, Harbor Police and the sheriffs' offices of St. John the Baptist and St. Bernard parishes.

When the Josephs' bodies were found, hers on March 10 and his on March 22, the feet of both were bound with blue nylon rope, police say. Kenneth Joseph, 34, was tied to a 30-pound kettlebell, and one end of the rope binding Lakeitha Joseph, 29, was frayed, indicating it had been tied to something.

Where would one buy such material? A March 27 search warrant affidavit signed by New Orleans police detective Ryan Vaught shows police checked a Kenner Wal-Mart store. Surveillance recordings and other store records from early Feb. 19 - hours after the Josephs were last seen by relatives -- show a man and woman buying two 30-pound kettlebells, two hooded, fleece sweatshirts, three pairs of "gripping gloves," fishing line, blue utility rope, two pairs of shoes and a bottle of degreaser.

The items were charged to American Express. The cardholder's transactions were the object of the search warrant. The motive for the Josephs' killings remains a mystery.

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